Automobile bumper



June 19, 1923.

F. -J. DAlNS AUTOMOBILE BUMPER Filed April ll 1925 lol' 7-1 J/ PatentedJune 19, 1923..

UNITED STATES FRANK .TOSIAH DAI'NS, OF CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA.

AUTOMOBILE BUMPER.

Application led April 11, 1923.A Serial No. 631,421.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, FRANK JosTAH DAINs, a citizen of the United Statesof America,

and resident of Cedar Rapids, in the county of Linn and State of Iowa,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automobile Bumpers,of which the following is a specication.

This invention relates to bumpers for` vide a bumper associated wit-hmeans for holding it in projected position with respect to theautomobile, the said bumper being oscillatably mounted on its support inorder that the said bumper may assume different positionsto present itsfull face or area to the object with which it collides, a conditionwhich will result in minimizing damage occasioned by collision, andtheoscillatory movement afforded the bumper also serves to cause the forceof the impact, due to a collision, to be communicated more nearlyaXially'of the supports of the bumper, in order that the supports which,in the present embodiment of the inventinon, comprise piston rods, maymove axially within the cylinders, thereby, to a great extent, avoidinglateral strain on the operating parts of the shock absorbing mechanismof the bumper.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a bumper mounted forarticulation in the manner indicated, and provided with means forfrictionally retaining the bumper at different positions of adjustment,in order that when the bumper and its shock absorbing mechanism isinstalled, the bumper may be moved to present its outer face in avertical position, regardless of the position of the bumping mechanism,within predetermined bounds.

construction, and in the arrangement and combination of parts to behereinafter more fully set forth and claimed.

In describing the invention in detail, reference will be had to theaccompanying drawings forming part of this application wherein likecharacters denote corresponding parts in the several views,and inwhich-Figure 1 illustrates a plan view of a bumper embodying the invention;

Figure 2 illustrates a front view thereof;

Figure 3 illustrates a rear View of the bumper head with the piston rodsin section;

Figure 4 illustrates an -enlarged sectional view on the line 4-4 of'Fig.2;

Figure 5 illustrates a 'sectional view on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2;

Figure 6 illustrates a plan view of a fragment of a bumper embodying amodification; and

Figure 7 thereof.

In these drawings a bumper is illustrated as comprising an upper andlower bar 10 and 11 respectively, that are in spaced relation to andparallel with each other, and the said bars are preferably connected'together at their ends by vertically disposed tubular members 12 andthese members 12 may be secured to the bars by welding or the like.

The bars l10 and 11 are adjustably secured on two heads 13 and 14 thatare of identical illustrates a sectional view construction, andtherefore, a :description of one will suffice Afor an understandingthereof by one skilled in the art. Each head has sockets 15 and 16 inits ends in which the bars 10 and 11 respectively are seated, and inorder that the bars may be held at different positions of adjustment,set screws 17 are threaded through those parts of the head having thesockets and the set screws bear against the bars. The-purpose of havingthis adjustable feature is that the heads may be moved on the bars tospace them properly with relation to the width of the frame of anautomobile or other structure to which the shock absorbing mechanism ofthe bumper is to be anchored, as will presently appear.

A face plate 18 fits between the bars 10 and 11 and the face plate issecured to the heads by fastenings 19 such as screws, and at suitablelocations between the ends of the bars clips 20 are attached to theplate by fastenings 21 such as screws or the like. The

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clips bear against the rear surfaces of the bars and the fasteningsserve to draw the plate and clips into frictional 'engagement with thebars so that the parts are retained in the assembled relations shown.

Each head has a seat 22 preferably provided with a friction washer orring 23 that is engaged by the ball or enlarged spherical end 2a of thepiston rod 2.5. An apertured plate 26 fits over the piston rod and bearsagainst the ball, thereby forming with the head and ball what might betermed a universal joint which will permit oscillatory motion of thebumper on the piston rod. rilhe plate is secured to the head vbyfastenings 27 such as screws or the like, and provision may be made foran adjustment by which pressure on the ball may be increased ordiminished. f

The shock absorbing mechanism of the bumper includes a piston 28 on eachof the piston rods and the pistons operate in cylinders 29 withabsorbing elements 30 in the nature of springs within the cylinders, oneend of each spring bearing against an end wall of a cylinder and theother end against the piston therein, the said spring, of course,yielding under impact, should a collision occur.

Any suitable means may be provided for attaching the cylinders to thechassis of an automobile, and the cylinder is here shown as havingintegral apertured flanges 31 that receive an anchoring device such as apin 32 extending through a lug 33, or other part of a device to whichthe cylinders are to be anchored. The particular means by which thecylinders are connected to the automobile or the like is an immaterialdetail of construction and may be varied to suit particularrequirements. The inventor does not therefore wish to be limited withrespect to these details, but they are shown for the purpose ofdisclosing one form of an operative device.

The fastening 32 may likewise be changed, as will be understood.

In the modification shown in Figs. 6 and 7, the head A and the partsassociated with it in the formation of the bumper itself are the same asthose heretofore describe in connection with the explanation of themechanism shown in the other figures of the drawing, but in thismodified construction the heads are connected to piston rods B by rigidjoints. The piston rods have apertured anges C that receive fastenings Dsuch as screws passing through the flanges and anchored to the head sothat a rigid connection is made, vas stated, between the head and tneistons.

Under certain conditions of use, this embodiment of the invention may beemployed aesases as a substitute for the forni heretofore described. v

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l. ln aibumper tor automobiles, heads having an up er and lower harsecured to them, a plate in front of the bumper a ing the space betweenthe bars, means for holding t e plate in place, piston rods, means foroscillatably mounting the heads on the piston rods, and shock absorbingmechanism with relation to and in connection with which the piston rodsare assembled.

2. In a bumper for automobiles, heads having an upper and lower barsecured to them, a plate in front of the bumper vlling the space betweenthe bars, means for holding t e plate in place, the said heads havingseats in their rear faces, piston rods having balls lying in the seats,means for frictionally retaining the balls in the said seats, and shockabsorbin mechanism with relation to and in connection with which thepiston rods are assembled.

3. lin a bumper for automobiles, heads having an upper and lower barsecured to them, piston rods, means .for oscillatably mounting the headson the piston rods, and shock absorbin mechanism with relation to and inconnection with which the rods are assembled.

d. ln a bumper for automobiles, heads having an upper and lower barsecured to them, piston rods connected to the heads and shock absorbingmechanism with which the piston rods coact. 4

5. lin a bumper for automobiles, heads having an upper and lower barsecured to them, means for holding the bars at different positions ofadjustment with relation to the heads, the said heads having seats intheir rear faces, friction elements therein, piston rods havingspherical heads fitting in the seats, plates adjustably secured to theheads and bearing a ainst the spherical heads of the piston ro forfrictionally retaining the bum er at dierent positions of adjustment witrelation to the heads, and shock absorbing mechanism with relation towhich the pistons operate.

- 6. A bum er for automobiles comprising shock absor ing elementsincluding cylinders, pistons operating in the cylinders, means withinthe c linders for retarding the movement of the piston heads having anupper and lower bar secured to them, .a front plate between the barsfilling the space therebetween, means for holdin the plate in place,balls on the outer en of the piston rods lying in seats of the heads,and means for frictionally retaining the balls in said seats.

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